New 007 villain is no 'Blo' in - Waltz

BOND star Christoph Waltz has admitted he thought twice before signing up for the new 007 film - and dismissed persistent rumours that he is playing the classic super-villain Blofeld.

The double Oscar winner has been cast as a baddie, with the name Franz Oberhauser, in the movie Spectre, starring Daniel Craig.

But that - and the release of a recent trailer - has not stopped speculation that while his character is technically named Oberhauser, his alter ego is actually the famous cat-loving villain Blofeld, who appeared in several previous Bond films.

"That is untrue. That rumour started on the internet and the internet is a pest. The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser," he told GQ magazine.

The Austrian star said that he only wanted to appear in a certain kind of Bond film - and compared the movies to Punch and Judy shows.

"The thing about Spectre is that it is not the work of hack writers," he said.

"It does not have a hack director. The actors are not hams. The action sequences in Mexico are extravagant to say the least.

"These films with Daniel Craig have shifted the tone. They don't depend on a set formula that forces actors to go through the motions. A James Bond film can be artistically fulfilling. Absolutely it can. It can be complex and it can be interesting," he said.

"I consider Bond movies to be an extension of popular theatre, a kind of modern mythology. You see the same sort of action in Punch and Judy, or in the folk theatre of various cultures."